ESPN's Dino Gaudio picks Gators as a 'Sleeper'

[gatorbogey]

saw on the espn's college basketball preview show today (10.31.12), Gaudio picked UF as his sleeper team - team outside of espn's top ten - that could win it all. he thinks highly of the front court of young, murphy at the 4 able to shoot the 3 too, and yegeute on the boards. plus likes the backcourt w/ boynton and rosario able to hit from the perimeter or drive and wilbekin operating at the point.

[NorthCaptivaGator]

Originally Posted by gatorbogey

saw on the espn's college basketball preview show today (10.31.12), Gaudio picked UF as his sleeper team - team outside of espn's top ten - that could win it all. he thinks highly of the front court of young, murphy at the 4 able to shoot the 3 too, and yegeute on the boards. plus likes the backcourt w/ boynton and rosario able to hit from the perimeter or drive and wilbekin operating at the point.

Who?

[madgator]

not sure where they are ranked in ESPN but being that the Gators are ranked 10th in both the AP and USAToday poll, this guy didn't exactly go out on a limb with this one.

sleeper? c'mon man. grow a pair

Tennessee is a sleeper this year.....not Florida

[GatorPlanet]

It could happen, but I think we're a long-shot. We'll know more after a few games. You could tell with our 06 team that they were special after the first four games. I believe this year's edition will be comparable to the last two, which means very good.

[Emmitto]

Sleepers don't start in the top 10 or just out of it.

You could make the case that we were the 6th or so best team last year and return fairly intact. I'm not an E-Walk hater but he's replaceable, with a solid chance at an upgrade. And Beal had barely scratched the surface, and never did become the lethal 3 point assassin he'll be in about a year in the NBA. His raw talent may not be replaceable but his lone year of productivity can be. If anything I'd say a #10 ranking is a bit low. I'd guess that #6 or so is reasonable right now. Legit threat unless the wheels just come off.

[UFG8rGuy3283]

Originally Posted by Emmitto

Sleepers don't start in the top 10 or just out of it.

You could make the case that we were the 6th or so best team last year and return fairly intact. I'm not an E-Walk hater but he's replaceable, with a solid chance at an upgrade. And Beal had barely scratched the surface, and never did become the lethal 3 point assassin he'll be in about a year in the NBA. His raw talent may not be replaceable but his lone year of productivity can be. If anything I'd say a #10 ranking is a bit low. I'd guess that #6 or so is reasonable right now. Legit threat unless the wheels just come off.

I understand what you're saying and you might be right about Beal. I actually feel like Beal brought so much to the table that he is going to be missed more than we think.

I understand WY is coming back and will add some rebounding to the squad, but Beal was the best rebounding guard in the county last year, IMO, and he was able to take the ball strong to the basket. I suppose if Prather can step up and play how he did toward the end of last year, it eases the loss of Beal. At the end of the year, Beal was playing about as well as anyone in the country not named Anthony Davis. I also think that Beal took a lot of pressure off KB so it will be interesting to see how his play is this year.

We need Rosario and Prather to step up offensively and with rebounding to contend.

I like the front court. We're just not very deep. I'm not writing off this year, but good lord it makes you excited to think about the ridiculous depth we'll have all the way around next year, even without PY if he decides to go.

[themistocles]

Hmmm - I think the term "sleeper" is a bit out of place, as Emmitto and Mad noted, calling the Gators a sleeper is a bit absurd given their current perceived ability.

Tennessee beat the Gators twice last year and return intact. How can they not be rated higher? Ohhh, that's right, they did well in the SEC, finishing 2nd with the tie-breaker, but were not very good outside the league.

As far as performance this year, I don't think it is so much "wheels" as "bodies." This team is Woefully thin on the front lines. If any injuries occur to the 3 PFs, admittedly, Prather can play the 4, but that would have a substantial impact on this team.

Actually, the same was true both in 2006 and 2007. Those were essentially 7-8 man teams. Recall that when Brewer was out, the Gators lost 2 games (there was exactly 1 Small forward on that team). They were, however, fortunate regarding serious injuries (unlike last year's team with the loss of Yeguete at the end of the season).

Can this team win it all????

Well, anything can happen. If they avoid injuries and one or two of the new Frosh contribute significantly, this could be a very, very good team. It also depends on how the competition develops, of course.

[Emmitto]

Originally Posted by UFG8rGuy3283

I understand what you're saying and you might be right about Beal. I actually feel like Beal brought so much to the table that he is going to be missed more than we think.

I understand WY is coming back and will add some rebounding to the squad, but Beal was the best rebounding guard in the county last year, IMO, and he was able to take the ball strong to the basket. I suppose if Prather can step up and play how he did toward the end of last year, it eases the loss of Beal. At the end of the year, Beal was playing about as well as anyone in the country not named Anthony Davis. I also think that Beal took a lot of pressure off KB so it will be interesting to see how his play is this year.

We need Rosario and Prather to step up offensively and with rebounding to contend.

I like the front court. We're just not very deep. I'm not writing off this year, but good lord it makes you excited to think about the ridiculous depth we'll have all the way around next year, even without PY if he decides to go.

Yeah, I pretty much agree. Bradley was certainly a superior rebounder at his position, and that made a difference. And I may be underestimating the intangibles (excellent teammate, unselfish, smart, few big mistakes, etc.) I'm thinking more of the raw numbers. 15 points, 7 boards in 34 minutes. I just feel that he guy(s) who replace those minutes can replace those numbers.

And I certainly don't think there's one guy, much less a true freshman, who can replicate Bradley, so that's likely a downgrade in and of itself. Multiple parts to replace one really trustworthy one is a potential problem in and of itself.

But it's November 1st. Time to be irrationally optimistic!